1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a mounting apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods and structure for a mounting apparatus for use in securing a parameter measuring device such as a clock, thermometer, compass or other meter or gauge to a motorcycle, scooter, bicycle, water craft or other vehicle.
2. Background Art
The prior art is directed to methods and structure for the mounting of clocks, meters and gauges on vehicles.
During the operation of vehicles, including those intended for use by a single rider such as motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, watercraft including jet skis, and the like, vehicle mounted clocks, meters and gauges are useful. Many different methods and structural combinations have been known in the prior art for mounting such clocks, meters and gauges onto a vehicle. Examples of some of the methods and structural combinations include the following.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,835,871 discloses an auto dashboard attachment for supporting auxiliary instruments from the instrument panel of a motor vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 2,061,855 discloses a support for bathroom articles utilizing a conventional wall bracket and threaded fasteners. U.S. Pat. No. 2,347,113 teaches an electric lighting fixture which employs a U-bracket arrangement. U.S. Pat. No. 2,673,056 discloses a dispensing device and mounting plate utilizing parallel supports for supporting a tissue dispenser. U.S. Pat. No. 2,884,215 teaches a mounting device for supporting electrical meters on top of machinery. U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,914 discloses a movable table attachment for a machine tool which is adjustable along a horizontal arm. U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,088 teaches a luminaire support designed to enable the optical assembly to be mounted in offset relation to an associated ballast housing using a horizontally adjustable bracket. U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,624 discloses a support device designed to be suspended from the edge of a hospital bed for containing bodily fluids in receptacles for subsequent collection by lab personnel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,836 teaches a universally adjustable cantilever bracket for general utility comprised of a plurality of serially connected friction joints which can assume a multitude of positions for use in industrial applications. U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,166 discloses a leather holder for eyeglasses having a hole for encircling a rearview mirror and two lower holes for insertion of the temple piece of an eyeglass frame. U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,873 teaches a leveling luminaire hanger which includes a link having an opening to hang on a hook and a connector coupled to the lower end of the link for supporting an offset load. U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,718 teaches a beverage container receptacle which utilizes a U-shaped bracket fastened to a circular ring for supporting a beverage container above its center of gravity. U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,019 discloses a flexible bottle holder for livestock having a main body support configured for supporting a livestock feeding bottle thereon and a gripping member for grasping a wall support edge. U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,132 teaches an indicator holder with slidable connecting member for use in connection with a dial test indicator and with machine tools such as a jigbore or milling machine. U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,222 discloses an article holder for mounting in a vehicle comprising a panel member carrying pockets and two hangers for supporting the panel on vehicle structure edges of two different thicknesses. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,899 teaches a Z-shaped universal tissue box hanger employed for suspending a parallelepiped, such as a box for storing and dispensing tissue papers, from furniture having a graspable element.
Notwithstanding the copious prior art relating to mounting brackets and devices, a mounting apparatus for use in securing a parameter measuring device to a vehicle was not discovered. Many of the mounting brackets and devices of the past are not suitable for use in removably attaching a measuring device such as a clock, thermometer or compass to a single person vehicle such as a motorcycle, scooter, bicycle, moped, jet ski water craft or other equivalent personal vehicle. Thus, persons who drive any of these types of vehicles must necessarily rely on another source to determine, for example, the time or ambient temperature. This reliance on another source for example, a wristwatch, to determine the time, raises safety issues since the rider must necessarily let go of the handle bars with at least one hand to view the wristwatch.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a mounting apparatus for use with a parameter measuring device such as, for example, a clock, thermometer or compass which includes an integral stem extending from the housing of the parameter measuring device, where the integral stem includes an internally threaded opening, a pan-shaped mounting plate having an integral barrel or sleeve that slides over and surrounds the integral stem, and an angular mounting bar having a first penetration for receiving a first fastener threadedly secured in the internally threaded opening of the integral stem, and a second penetration for accommodating a second fastener for securing the entire mounting apparatus including the parameter measuring device to a personal vehicle.